Many local authorities have fallen significantly behind on their electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure plans, new research has found.
In 2022, a fifth of the 100 councils surveyed by charge point operator Believ said they hoped to have local charging infrastructure rolled out within a year, while almost three-quarters (72%) aimed to do so within three years.
But this year’s survey revealed that not a single council has fully implemented its plans and only 13% expect to do so within a year, while almost half (47%) believe it will now take more than three years.
A third (34%) of councils have no formal infrastructure plan in place at all.
Many local authorities, particularly in less affluent areas, said they could not justify the costs of implementing charging infrastructure when so few people drive EVs – but two-thirds (67%) of consumers said the lack of charge points meant they were putting off buying an EV.
Believ CEO Guy Bartlett said drivers would not switch ‘unless they are confident in the charging infrastructure, and currently, they are not’.
National and local government will struggle to reach net zero targets without helping drivers switch to electric, he added.
